08-10-2021, 01:38 PM
(08-10-2021, 01:09 PM)michaeltex Wrote: So the result of all this back and forth is...LM is around an average defender? So if the 5th starter was DFS, does that make the starting 5 around average as a group? Wouldn't that be an improvement over last season? The difference between 21st and 15th in Defensive Rating is 0.3.
Also, is all this talk about defense productive? If you look at how DAL finished (21st, 112.3 rating) you have to get to DEN (11th, 111.5 rating) to find another team with a winning record. Except for ATL. Everybody else (e.g., WAS, DET, TOR, CHI) had a better defensive rating. The rules favor scoring, not defense, because nobody wants to watch an 85-82 wrestling match every night.
https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/defense/?sort=DEF_RATING&dir=-1
To me, if DAL is hitting shots, they can play with anybody, as they proved last season to MKE, LAC, LAL and PHL. Unfortunately, injury/COVID/cold shooting/fatigue often did our boys in. If the new adds are improved shooters (as their stats appear to indicate) then the scoring should be more consistent. Mixing in Lauri should only improve the scoring consistency and if he's an average defender, then it shouldn't hurt anything overall.
No. The result is that he is somewhere between average to very bad. It is also important to realize that the two guys we currently have playing his position (DFS and Maxi) are two of the best defenders on the team.
I'm not sure what your argument is regarding team defense? The bottom line is that every legit contender was top 10 in defense (except the Nets), and just about every champion was a top 10 defense. To be a true contender, it cannot be ignored.